Let’s explain different kinds of Speed Regulators for Ceiling Fans and the pros and cons of all. The objective is for consumers to know the importance of buying a good regulator as these days the companies do not supply regulators along with fans (except Remote Regulators). Often a cheap or incorrect outdated model of regulator can generate unpleasant humming noise and cause harm to the fan motor, which of course is not the fault of fan but of your buying decision.
Resistance/Choke Type Regulators
Till about 25/30 years back, all the Fan Companies used to sell fan with a compatible Regulator, which was often Resistance type (bulky in size). These were Power Guzzlers. These regulators had spools of wire with different amounts of resistances. When you set the knob at a particular position, you included a certain resistance in series with the fan. The resistance in circuit consumed its power. So, fan consumed same energy even at lower speeds and the regulators generated lot of heat.
There were also Choke Type regulators available during that period, which were better than Resistance but not the best solution.
These are both now virtually extinct.
Triac Based –Step less Regulators
These Step less regulators were the initial changeover from Resistance type or Choke type Bulky regulators and were primarily meant for dimming lights as well. These are still available and you may be tempted to buy because of low price.
These are better than the Resistance based regulator as it saves energy but they distort the Sine wave of the power supply which creates the humming sound of the motor. Distorted power supply is also not good for long-term health of the motor.
